News Blitz: Duffee back in the UFC, MacDonald, Tyson

Third week of November is coming to an end, and it’s a perfect time to look at some of the news that went under the radar.

Ultimate Fighting Championship are continuing to add names to the upcoming UFC 155 fight card in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, headlined by the Heavyweight title rematch between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. Interestingly enough, no other than Todd Duffee will also be on the card, making his return against Phil de Fries. Duffee is now 7-2 in MMA, losing to Mike Russow and Alistair Overeem. In his most recent appearance inside the cage, Duffee defeated Neil Grove via TKO at the main event of Super Fight League 2 event in India. Ultimate Fighting Championship have confirmed the news to Las Vegas Sun.

One of the top contenders in the UFC Welterweight division, Rory MacDonald, revealed he’s embarrassed by losing to Carlos Condit back at UFC 115. Condit is MacDonald’s only loss inside the Octagon, as the Tristar Gym product plans to take the UFC Welterweight division by storm in 2013. Here’s what Rory MacDonald had to say about losing to Condit, and who he wants to fight next (via ESPN.co.uk):

“I respect him (Condit) completely, he’s one of the guys I respect most in the sport,” MacDonald told ESPN. “His outlook and his attitude is great.

But I feel like I was embarrassed in that fight. I want to prove to myself and the world that I am the better fighter and I want revenge for the embarrassment I felt that night. Everyone has their own opinion of the fight, but at the end of the day I lost and was embarrassed. It is what it is. I plan to be the world champ.”

Finally, Boxing legend Mike Tyson spoke about his love for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in a recent interview with ESPN. According to Tyson, if you’re not into Mixed Martial Arts you’re simply not cool. Iron Mike also admitted that if he fought today, he would probably end-up being an MMA fighter. Fans are already speculating whether Mike Tyson could’ve been as successful in MMA, which requiers a completely different skillset. One way or another, it’s always great to have a figure of Tyson’s caliber supporting MMA:

“Oh yeah, I love UFC, big time. How could you not be? They play UFC so much, you see it year round, and you just have to want to be a fan. If you’re not a fan, you’re not cool. I think some young kids may think that in boxing you’re so restricted with just your punching power and your hand speed. In natural fighting, anything goes; you’re not restricted at all. Anything on your body is a weapon. I don’t disagree with that. Wouldn’t you like to have more than just your hands to fight with? You know how I feel; I got into a fight and bit Evander’s ear off. I didn’t plan to do it, that’s just how the mind thinks in that situation.”

Mike Tyson, with a decent take-down defense, let alone decent wrestling would be a holy nightmare, to face. If I could name one person in all of MMA (coming to a UFC promotion near you, in 2013) that reminds me of (the above mentioned) Mike Tyson, it would be Daniel Cormier. With that said, I'd love to see Mike become an MMA (boxing) coach. Not only to teach the skill, but to teach his killer instinct, because there was no man that was more feared in a boxing ring than Mike Tyson. He was freaking scary.